2018-11-02

Kyrgyz authorities arrest 9 suspected terrorists

Caravanserai

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (GKNB) detained nine people, including several foreigners, in Chui Province suspected of belonging to an international terrorist organisation, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

The suspects -- five foreigners and four Kyrgyz citizens -- allegedly had been recruiting for unidentified terrorist groups in Syria and Afghanistan since 2017 and had planned a series of terrorist acts in Kyrgyzstan, the GKNB said Friday (November 2).

Kyrgyz authorities are working with foreign security agencies to investigate the case.

Up to 500 Kyrgyz citizens have joined "Islamic State" (IS) and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq in recent years, according to officials.